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Recent Articles - Flint Hills CoalitionTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:47:57 GMTThe Flint Hills - Tales out of Schoolhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/The-Flint-Hills---Tales-out-of-School/898/
Characteristics, history and life over the last two centuries in the Flint Hills.
by
Jim Hoy
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/The-Flint-Hills---Tales-out-of-School/898/Flint Hills Kansas - Nature Field Guidehttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills-Kansas---Nature-Field-Guide/896/
This article is a brief description and history of the Flint Hills.:)
by
The Nature Conservancy - Kansas
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills-Kansas---Nature-Field-Guide/896/Flint Hills - Yahoo&apos;s Top 10 Travel Destinationhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills---Yahoo-s-Top-10-Travel-Destination/897/
The Flint Hills was named in a list of travel destinations in America. Author Rolf Potts puts it this way: Most
folks consider the Great Plains fly-over country &mdash; and that's a shame,
since the prairies are home to America's subtlest charms and scenery.&nbsp;
Mostly treeless, and curving gently across the eastern Kansas landscape,
the Flint Hills are home to the largest remnant of native tallgrass
prairie in the world.
by
Yahoo - Traveling Light by Rolf Potts
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills---Yahoo-s-Top-10-Travel-Destination/897/Ode to Kansashttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Ode-to-Kansas/895/
It's
stridently anti-abortion, fervently behind creationism, considered
flat, bland 'flyover land' to most left-leaning Americans. But, finds
Paul Harris, there's plenty to love about Dorothy's homeland.
by
Paul Harris - The Observer
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Ode-to-Kansas/895/Flint Hills tourism is means to an endhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills-tourism-is-means-to-an-end/892/
&quot;Disney's
not coming to the Flint Hills,&quot; Ted Eubanks told his audience Thursday
afternoon. &quot;Large industry? Not coming.&quot; But tourists could be and, by
using the right tools, they should be coming in droves.
by
The Emporia Gazette - Bobbi Mlynar
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills-tourism-is-means-to-an-end/892/Kansas - a place of discoveryhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Kansas---a-place-of-discovery/893/
Kansas&hellip; &ldquo;Home, home on the range&rdquo;&hellip;these are more than just words in
the Kansas state song. They are words that describe the experiences and
down home hospitality vacationers will discover when they visit Kansas.
by
Easier - Travel News (UK)
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Kansas---a-place-of-discovery/893/Elk County Courthouse Tower Clockhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Elk-County-Courthouse-Tower-Clock/891/
by Shirley Black/Flint HIlls Express
Chime the Time
The
Elk County Courthouse finally has a clock. It's a beautiful clock that
chimes the hour during the day and silently glows the time during the
night. The original 1907 courthouse blue prints show a clock was planned
for installation nearly 100 years ago when the courthouse was built,
but the courthouse has never had a clock in the tower. Apparently the
county ran out of money before the clock could be installed and one was
never purchased. This clock is identical to the one on the original
plans.
The Register of Deeds has the original land indenture from
1886 when the city of Howard sold the Elk County Board of Commissioners
and the state of Kansas the land for the courthouse for one dollar.
Mayor J. Burchfield and City Clerk Asa Thompson both signed the
indenture papers. The register of deeds who filed the indenture was J.
M. Gwin. Our current yellow brick courthouse was built to replace a red
brick courthouse that burned nearly to the ground in 1905. The current
courthouse was built in the same location on the same land as the old
courthouse.
The 1907 courthouse has undergone several revisions,
the largest being the renovation to add the elevator during the 1970s.
The top of the elevator shaft is actually in the bottom of the clock
tower. This change made the clock installation very interesting. The
elevator shaft nearly completely blocks the only access door to the
tower. There is a 14 foot high wall that is 12 feet long just two feet
inside the doorway. A person can walk through the passageway, but we
were unable to bring clock parts through the passage. An 85 foot bucket
truck was rented from United Rentals in Wichita to give us access to the
clock tower from the outside. David Seay, master clockmaker from
Manhattan, and his assistant moved the supplies, material and themselves
up to the tower via the bucket truck. David Seay was assisted by
Patrick Perkins, from PEP Electric, as well as Bob Black, John Black and
John Cooke.
The glass for the clock faces came in several pie
shaped pieces to allow ease of transport and installation. The numbers
and frame are wrought iron. Currently the clock chimes on the hour from 8
am to 10 pm and is silent through the night. We have several chime and
melody options to explore in the future.
Many thanks to all who
donated to the lovely clock. Donations can still be sent to the Elk
County Community and Education Foundation at PO Box 956, Howard, KS
67349.Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Elk-County-Courthouse-Tower-Clock/891/Human Nature: Big-Sky Prairiehttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Human-Nature-Big-Sky-Prairie/888/
Learning to see the nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
by
Sally Shivnan / Nature Conservancy Magazine
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Human-Nature-Big-Sky-Prairie/888/National Geographic - April 2007 - The Flint Hills: A Kansas Treasurehttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/National-Geographic---April-2007---The-Flint-Hills-A-Kansas-Treasure/887/
The Prairie's Grip is Unbroken in the Flint Hills of Kansas.
by
National Geographic - by Verlyn Klinkenborg, Photos by Jim Richardson
Jump to the Source Article
&nbsp;Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/National-Geographic---April-2007---The-Flint-Hills-A-Kansas-Treasure/887/Lazy D Outfittershttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Lazy-D-Outfitters/885/
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Lazy-D-Outfitters/885/Old Kansas, Still Growing Tallhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Old-Kansas-Still-Growing-Tall/884/
THINK
all of Kansas is flat? Think again. The Flint Hills, in the eastern
part of the state, fan out over 183 miles from north to south,
stretching 30 to 40 miles wide in parts, the land folding into itself,
then popping up in gentle bumps, with mounds looming far off on the
horizon.
by
Betsy Rubiner / New York Times
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Old-Kansas-Still-Growing-Tall/884/KSNT Blog and Clip on National Geographichttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/KSNT-Blog-and-Clip-on-National-Geographic/889/
Read the KSNT Blog and Film Clip regarding the Kansas Flint Hills coverage in the April National Geographic.
by
KSNT News
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/KSNT-Blog-and-Clip-on-National-Geographic/889/Rancher works to preserve Kansas&apos; scenic Flint Hillshttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Rancher-works-to-preserve-Kansas-scenic-Flint-Hills/882/
EMPORIA,
Kan. (AP)--If you asked Jane Koger what she'd do if given the choice to
go to heaven or stay in the Kansas Flint Hills, she'd tell you she'd
rather stay in the Flint Hills.
Koger is the owner of the
Homestead Ranch in Chase County, a 4,000-acre privately owned ranch. She
has turned her love of the Flint Hills into a lifelong dedication to
preserving the Flint Hills pristine ecosystem.
by
High Plains/Midwest AG Journal
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Rancher-works-to-preserve-Kansas-scenic-Flint-Hills/882/Recreation Finderhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Recreation-Finder/881/
Looking for a Place to Hike, Bike or Camp in Kansas?
Recreation
Finder is now online. This online resource allows users to search a
database of more than 450 trails, 3,500 parks and 12,500 recreation
facilities across the state. Users can search for parks and facilities
by name, location, park type or facilities available.
Recreation
Finder is a collaborative effort of the Kansas Recreation and Park
Association, the Sunflower Foundation, the Kansas Department of Wildlife
and Parks, the Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas State University and
hundreds of park and recreation professionals and other city and school
district staff members statewide.
by
Kansas Dept of Wildlife &amp; Parks - To Recreation FinderMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Recreation-Finder/881/Bill Kurtis: In Praise of the Prairiehttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Bill-Kurtis-In-Praise-of-the-Prairie/880/
On
his ranch in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Bill Kurtis walks among cows
grazing on big bluestem and other prairie grasses. &quot;Eat up, girls,&quot; he
says in a resonant voice familiar to millions of Americans from his
hosting roles on the A&amp;E Network programs Investigative Reports and
Cold Case Files.
by
by Marti Attoun, AmericanProfile.com
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Bill-Kurtis-In-Praise-of-the-Prairie/880/Artist&apos;s filming of Flint Hills fires captures prairie cycleshttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Artist-s-filming-of-Flint-Hills-fires-captures-prairie-cycles/879/
Louis Copt watches the TV screen, which shows a roaring, crackling fire rushing through brown grass in the Flint Hills.
All that's missing is the smell of smoke and the terror of actually being there.
&quot;It was way too windy to be burning that day,&quot; Copt says with asmirk.
He would know -- he was the one holding the video camera.
by
Terry Rombeck, LJWorld.com
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Artist-s-filming-of-Flint-Hills-fires-captures-prairie-cycles/879/Restoration Rowhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Restoration-Row/878/
PAWHUSKA,
Okla. - It is hard to love a land you don't understand, and for most of
my life I had no idea why anyone would ever live in the Great Plains -
let alone love the place.
Flat, featureless, boring. Those were
the words I heard growing up whenever someone would mention the plains.
My view was informed by Dorothy's Kansas, which looked scary and Gothic
even before the twister took her house and Toto, too.
by
Timothy Egan / The New York Times
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Restoration-Row/878/Midwest Living - Kansas Flint Hillshttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Midwest-Living---Kansas-Flint-Hills/877/
Savor the open grasslands of this gorgeous expanse.
by
Midwest Living
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Midwest-Living---Kansas-Flint-Hills/877/Lazy T Ranchhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Lazy-T-Ranch/876/
by Julie Roller, Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation
Located just minutes away from the heart of Manhattan, the Lazy T Ranch is one of the Flint Hills&rsquo; best-kept secrets.
While
some would be curious about their willingness to share this
awe-inspiring ranch, the Wilson family welcomes visitors to their
relaxing country oasis. &ldquo;We want to share the story of the family farm
and the Flint Hills with visitors from across the country,&rdquo; owner Ron
Wilson said. &ldquo;There is a growing interest in western history, ranching
and cattle drives; people are looking for authentic destinations and we
want to share that experience with our visitors.&rdquo;
Homesteaded in
1855 by New Hampshire native, Enoch Collins Persons, the ranch is
located just below Riley County&rsquo;s tallest hilltop, Freemont Point. In
1958, the ranch was sold to three Manhattan-area businessmen who gave
the ranch its name, the Lazy T. Wilson&rsquo;s parents, the late W. John and
Glenna Wilson acquired the property in 1968 and since then three
generations of Wilson&rsquo;s have lived at the Lazy T. While the property has
changed owners since it&rsquo;s homesteading, the ranch&rsquo;s original 1919 clay
silo and 1860&rsquo;s stone barn and 1939 corrals still remain.
&ldquo;Our
barn was recently nominated for placement on the National Register of
Historic Places. The barn is structurally sound and we still use the
hayloft to store our square bales,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;The engineering in the
barn is amazing, once the hay is in the loft, it&rsquo;s very simple to get
it right into the troughs.&rdquo;
Although majority of the ranch&rsquo;s
original structures remain, the original stone house was replaced with a
more modern farmhouse in 1923, where Wilson&rsquo;s mother still resides. In
2006, a new house was built on the ranch for Wilson and his family.
While
at the Lazy T Ranch, guests can enjoy a relaxing hayrack ride through
the majestic Flint Hills and the ranch&rsquo;s untouched tall grass meadow,
interact with the ranch&rsquo;s &ldquo;farm animal friends&rdquo;, eat a delicious chuck
wagon supper and enjoy western music and cowboy poetry preformed by
Wilson around a rustic campfire under the stars.
According to the
ranch&rsquo;s brochure, &ldquo;the poetry is fun, family-oriented, patriotic,
relates extremely well with ag and rural audiences and most of the time,
it even rhymes&rdquo;. Wilson will also prepare and present an original,
customized cowboy poem for a group or event. Starting in October, guests
can also pick their own pumpkins, acorn squash and gourds at the
ranch&rsquo;s Valley View Pumpkin Patch. While at the pumpkin patch, they will
also be able to enjoy tangy apples, sweet caramel and apple cider.
Today,
Wilson&rsquo;s mother Glenna, his wife Chris and their four school-aged
children, including triplets, live on the ranch and take part in its
day-to-day activities. This family is also very involved in Pottawatomie
County 4-H, where they show many of the ranch&rsquo;s animals. In addition to
4-H, Chris is slated to become the 2009 National President of American
Agri-Women, a national coalition of farm, ranch, and agri-business
women's organizations, while Ron is the director of the Huck Boyd
Institute at Kansas State University, whose mission is to &ldquo;help rural
people help themselves&rdquo;.
The Lazy T Ranch is a premiere example
of bridging tourism and agriculture to increase the economic vitality of
the Flint Hills region. Its prime location along Zeandale Road and
Highway 18 make it an attractive tourist destination and its
breathtaking scenic backdrop will surely leave visitors in wonder. &ldquo;We
want the Flint Hills to become a national location of choice, for people
to rediscover their roots and our country&rsquo;s heritage,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We
appreciate our history and want to share it.&rdquo;
For more information about the Lazy T Ranch or to schedule a visit please call: (785) 539-7899 or visit www.lazytranch.org.Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Lazy-T-Ranch/876/Long Weekend: Winter on a Silver Platterhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Long-Weekend-Winter-on-a-Silver-Platter/875/
Bed and Breakfasts serve up warmth and comfort in the Flint Hills
by
Julie Cirlincuina / Kansas Outdoor Treasures
Jump to the Source Article - PDFMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Long-Weekend-Winter-on-a-Silver-Platter/875/Heavenly Places Without the Hypehttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Heavenly-Places-Without-the-Hype/874/
Why people ignore it: It's Kansas, and we get excited about Kansas only during March Madness, if at all.
by
Denver Post
Jump to the Source ArticleMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Heavenly-Places-Without-the-Hype/874/Two for the Roadhttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Two-for-the-Road/873/
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Two-for-the-Road/873/Flint Hills on a Fence!http://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills-on-a-Fence-/872/
Flint Hills Art Posted on Discovery Center Construction Fence
Construction has begun on the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan. During the next 19 months of construction, the fence surrounding the site will serve as an art gallery for the 22 counties of the Flint Hills. Each county submitted at least two panels depicting that county's relationship to the celebrated Kansas Flint Hills.
Those panels, along with many other panels created by school children and various nature-based associations, are now on display on the construction fence. Here are some samples of the art panels on display.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;Flint Hills Construction
Fence Art
&nbsp;More art
&nbsp;Construction Art
The Flint Hills Discovery Center is scheduled to open in April, 2012 and will feature hands-on exhibits, an immersive video experience, and traveling displays about the Flint Hills. The Discovery Center will be a focal point of Manhattan's South End Redevelopment and will offer a unique tourism experience that celebrates the history, culture and heritage of the Flint Hills and Tallgrass Prairie. The site is located at the Southeast entrance to Manhattan, as visitors cross the Kansas River on State Highway K-177, just south of Manhattan Town Center Mall.
For more information, visit the Flint Hills Discovery Center Web site
by Dennis TollMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Flint-Hills-on-a-Fence-/872/Weaving Rugs and Tales by the Cottonwood Fallshttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Weaving-Rugs-and-Tales-by-the-Cottonwood-Falls/871/
Byway Spotlight
Weaving Rugs and Tales by the Cottonwood Falls
By Julie Midgley
This article originally appeared in the August/September issue of Keynotes, a publication of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging.
Between Council Grove and Cassoday is the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway, a 47.2 mile stretch of road surrounded by sloping hills, wildflowers and prairie grasses. The scene hasn't changed much since the time of the Old West-you can almost see the wagon trains crossing in front of you as you follow K-177 so
About halfway between lies Cottonwood Falls. It is a town of just under a thousand people, and it's home to the Chase County Courthouse-the oldest county courthouse still in continuous use west of the Mississippi.
If you make a right turn from the Scenic Byway onto Friend Street and go into town, you'll cross Broadway-Cottonwood Falls' main downtown street. To the south you'll see the courthouse. If you are looking for Charley Klamm at one of the buildings lining downtown, you'll find him at the Fiber Factory-a blue-and-purple painted storefront. The yellowing sign in front says &quot;Visitors Welcome.&quot;
If you ask a friendly person to send you toward Charley's house you'll end up at the same place.
Inside Fiber Factory, the room brims with weaving looms loaded with half-finished projects. Tables showcase completed products for sale-crisscross rugs, scarves, hats and even earrings made from scrap denim. Some of his wife Carol's intricate tatting work-doilies and tiny green shamrocks-are displayed here, too.
&quot;The house, the shop, it's all together,&quot; Charley said as he ducked through a doorway into the living room of the home he and Carol share. &quot;I never have to walk to work in the rain.&quot;
Charley and Carol moved back to Cottonwood Falls 17 years ago after 35 years in Topeka. There, Charley was a photographer for the State of Kansas in what is now the Department of Transportation. His first camera was a Trusite Minicam that he bought for $7-all the money he had at the time. It sits with the rest of his camera collection on shelves behind the counter at the Fiber Factory.
While the work was consistent, he was restless.
&quot;You can only take a picture of a bridge so many ways,&quot; Klamm said. &quot;And I'm a country boy. I wanted to come back.&quot;
The Klamms bought the last two available buildings-old offices-in Cottonwood Falls when they returned, renovating them into a home and the store. Their kitchen occupies what was once a boardroom.
The couple has been weavers ever since Carol's mother asked her to pick up the craft from where she left off. Carol took a class and was hooked. Charley picked up a weaving loom from the late 1800s for a song. He restored it to pristine condition, and along the way became a gifted weaver, too.
Now they have nine weaving looms in operation at any given time. The couple's specialty is rugs made from old jeans-evidenced by the piles of them lining the walls. They cut out pieces from the legs, cut those into strips, load them on the loom with huge spools of blue and white yarn, and get to work. A 38-inch rug takes about eight hours to finish. The loom clangs loudly as strips are woven, requiring a good amount of physical effort by the weaver.
&quot;It's a good way to get out your anger,&quot; Charley joked.
One doubts that Charley has an anger management problem or even much to get mad about. Since returning to Cottonwood Falls, he has worked hard to preserve the history of his corner of the Flint Hills. He was determined to bring the Scenic Byway designation to the area-the first of what are now 11 stretches of highway in the state. He is president of the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway committee that maintains the road with the help of state and federal grants. It's his voice you hear if you tune into the AM radio station that provides highlights of the Scenic Byway.
Klamm ascribes wholeheartedly to the committee's motto-&quot;Leave it like it is, see it like it is.&quot;
&quot;Every mile is a scenic view,&quot; he said. &quot;We wanted to preserve it.&quot;
He helped plant flowers and still mows the grounds at the Schrumpf Hill Scenic Overlook just south of town. Here visitors can see the Tallgrass Prairie for miles in every direction from the center of a circular platform lined with native stone.
When a local program ended that took tourists on guided treks around the area, Charley began driving them himself. He inherited the presidency of the local historical society when there was no board of directors and rounded up a group of interesting people to renew dedication to the program-and to local tourism.
&quot;When city people come out here and watch the sun drop below the hills, to them, that's amazing,&quot; Klamm said.
He explained how he can spot a sightseer as soon as one gets out of a car on Broadway.
&quot;They lock their doors,&quot; he chuckled.
Charley admits that determination is part of his success in keeping local stories alive. When the family of famed Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne, who died in a 1931 plane crash in a wheat field in nearby Bazaar, called him to loan a specially made Studebaker to the historical society, he was excited-and stumped, because he had no place to put it. He and the society's vice president bought a building from the high school but still had to find a way to get the car into its new home.
&quot;They said, 'You can't get that car in there,'&quot; Klamm remembers. &quot;I said, 'Watch me.'&quot;
They tore down the front of the building, put the car inside and built the front back up around it.
The next time you make the drive down K-177 to the Flint Hills Scenic Byway, take your time. Soak up all the history and beauty of the Tallgrass Prairie. And think about stopping by to say hello to Charley and Carol at the Fiber Factory in Cottonwood Falls. Charley will be happy to show you around.
by By Julie Midgley, This article originally appeared in the August/September issue of KeynotMon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.travelks.com/media-room/articles/view/Weaving-Rugs-and-Tales-by-the-Cottonwood-Falls/871/